tectonicus

Forms

tectonicus (feminine tectonica, neuter tectonicum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós, “skilled in building”),^[2][3][4] from τέκτων (téktōn, “carpenter, builder”).^[4][5] Köbler compares a PIE root Proto-Indo-European *tek̑t- “to plait, join”, with a question mark.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Ausonius uses it in the Mosella, where tectonicae formae are the plans or designs of a building.^[2][3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed rare and kept its sense “of building, architectural”.^[2][7] English took tectonic from it in the 17th century, first meaning “relating to building”, before geology gave the word its modern sense.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 310–394 AD – Ausonius speaks of tectonicae formae, building plans, in the Mosella.^[2][3][4]
• 1650s – English borrows it as tectonic “relating to building”.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or relating to building; architectural.^[2][3][6]

Related words

• English tectonic

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier